Means for teaching spelling and the like.



J. L. THOMSON.

MEANS FOR TEACHING SPBLLING AND THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.17, 1914.

1,099,324, Patented June 9,1914.

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MEANS FOR TEACHING SPELLING AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION IILBD JAN. 17, 1914.

Patented June 9, 1914.

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INVENTOR, Jmz i0 L. T lwmsan,

ATTORNEY.

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JENNIE L. THOMSON, OF TUNKHANNOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

MEAN$ FOB TEACHING SPELLING AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 19314.

Application filed January 17, 1914. Serial No. 812,626.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JENNIE L. THOMSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tunkhannock, in the county of Wyoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Teaching Spelling and the like, of which the following is a specification.

In teaching beginners the art of reading great difliculty is met with in inculcating in the mind of the learner not only that each spoken letter or element of a word has its counterpart in the printed or written form thereof, but that each such element in the printed or writtenform of the word possesses its own individuality and is employed in a variety of combinations with other letters or word elements to form other words. This is due to the fact that :heretoforethe method chosen is to exhibit to the pupil a selected word or words and bring the pupil to know the letters thereof by repeatedly spelling the word and at the same time designating the letters; and in consequence the pupil becomes so imbued with the specific association of any given letter with another or others in the selected word that his progress toward appreciating the individuality of the letters, and therefore of promptly recognizing any letter however it may be associated with other letters, is greatly retarded. Thus, a child might readily recognize d in dog, if he had been taught to know d by reference to dog, but fail to know the same letter in pad, because it has new associates and anew position.

The principal object of this invention is to discourage rote-work by encouraging early in the beginners mind appreciation of the individuality of the letters or elements of a printed or written word; in other words, to assist the beginner to quickly recognize a letter or otherword element by reference primarily to itself alone. And in this con nection it may be remarked that as the purpose is not merely to teach the beginner to know his letters, but to read, so it is a part of the principal object of this invention to inculcate in the beginners mind, by reference to words, the oflice of the constituent letters or elements thereof.

I have graphically illustratedmy invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figures 1 to 4 show certain strips containing words and the letters thereof and representing the essential feature of my invention; Figs. 5 and 6 show other strips containing only letters and also representing the essential feature of my invention; Fig. 7 shows apparatus in connection with which said strips may be conveniently used; and, Fig. 8 shows a printed card from which the strips shown in Figs. 1 to 4 may be cut.

Prcliminarily to describing my invention it may be said that in accordance with a system of teaching reading in connection with which I preferably employ the invention I select a few (say, ten) one-syllable words which will together embody all the letters of the alphabet and such other word-elements as, for instance, letters that are frequently coupled or joined in printing, such as ii and fl. The teacher first chooses from these a word, say dog, and repeatedly spelling the same and requiring the pupil to sound each letter as it is pronounced by the teacher finally impresses on the pupil that the word is composed of several certain elements that may be separately sounded. After having instilled in the mind of the pupil and impressed on his memory with respect to one or more of these words what those elements are, the teacher next resorts to my invention as an aid in fixing the idea that each of the elements so learned by sound has its counterpart in the visually observable form characteristic of printing any writing. I

Describing, now, my invention in detail, each of the words to be taught is displayed on preferably flat pieces of suitable material, such as pasteboard, corresponding in number to the number of word-elcments in eacli word. For instance, taking the word dog, one set of the pieces would comprise three pieces; taking the word fly in the case where the f and 1 appear in printing coupled oryjoined, one set of pieces would comprise two pieces. It is not indispensable, although it is preferable, that in each set the selected word be displayed on each piece. On the several pieces of each set near the margins thereof are also displayed the different letters or elements of the word, one, such element to a piece and the several elements being arranged in relative correspondence on all the pieces, by which I mean that, with the pieces in, the position for reading the letters in the usual way, right side up, the letters would occupy substantially the corresponding, positions on all the pieces; In the preferred adaptation the pieces ofa set are all of the same size and shape and are elongated, and the W011i is displayed on the right end of each piece, hereasthe Word-element is displayed at the left end thereof. The several Word-elements being arranged in relative correspondence on all the pieces an index to the position in which each piece should stand for reading is a'fi'ord'ed; and it is preferable, though not indispensable, that the Word on each piece should be so positioned as to be read from the same side" or edge thereof as the Word element thereon is read.- The letter or wordele'n'ie'nt is displayed at the left-end and the Word at the right end of the piece for a purpose Which will appear. One set of three such pieces is shown'i'n Figs. 1 and 2, designated d, and another'of twain Figs. 3 and 45,"d'esi'gnated Z). lt Will be convenient to print cards, as 0, Fig. 8, each having a complete complement of the Words and their coinpenent elements displayed thereon in such manner that when the cards are severed on the lines (Z as many series of the sets of piecesa' and 6' described in detail above Will be produced as th'ereare cards one series will then; begiyen to each pupil, together with shallow rectangular b0X, such as e, and an elongated transversely grooved holder, such' as f, Fig: 7. The teacher now selects a set of the pieces, fer instance, that displaying the Word dog, and, pronouncing the letters of the Word in succession,

designates the same on the strips or pieces a with reference both to the word as displayed v w formulate any givenvvord' in the same man ner as before, 6., by placing the pieces in on the right end of each piece and to the constitnen'telei'nents thereof at their lefthand ends; This continued unti'l'th'e pupil perceives" that each letter inthe complete Word has itsfcounterpart in one ofthe letters individually shown on one of the pieces of the set.- The pupil is' then instructed-to form-111m the word himself y assembling the stri ps or pieces, placing them one after another in overlapping disposition, so that they Will form the Word ,c' laye'd at the right-hand end of each strip is shey'v'n' Figs. 2 4 also in Fig; 7, which last instance the holder f is shown at the left side of the hon and a'flbfr'c'lsin its groc-ves forms in which the strips maybe placed by the pupiland maintained in orderly dis' position, the adjacentside or wall of the bot; affording abutment fer the first strip and therefore serving to establish in the pnpi-ls mind that it is essential reading to proceed from left to right. Any other device which will afi'ord' aj laterally extending abutment, suchas the top or bottom side of any roove in this holder,- against which one edge (top orbettoni'), as a gaging edge, of each strip may be placed be utilizedto assist the pupil to one ofthe essentials of j present instance) of t drilled" in the word dog, for instance, so that he canchoose from a number of the .strips indiscriminately arranged, say in the freespace of the box, the three Whose ord 7 elements are those of the Word dog and can arrange them 1n the manner explalned to form that Word, another is chosen and the lesson continued in same manner; It Will be observed that in the process of for- .m'ulating each Word by the separated Word elements the pupil always has before l'iir'n' on the set of pieces by which it may be' composed (and, in the preferred form, on each piece) the same Word-elements 1n proper arrangement to constitute such Worda circumstance affording both an assistance and an lneentive to him. Having proceeded to an ability to spell each of a given number.

of Words by selecting from all of the sets of 'stripsor pieces, indiscriminately arranged, j and properly placing those necessary co-eon vstitute each Word, the pupil is next given one or more sets ofpieces corresponding to those of the class shown in Figs. 1 to 4; eX- =cepting that the Words are oniittedthere 1- from. Thu-s, in Figs 5 and 6, g denotes 'the" pieces or strips of such a set. They maybe formed-,- if-desi'red, by simply cutting away the ends of the piecesa or b on line so in Fig. l but in any event the piece should be latergally elongated,- the Word el'ement being on" one end thereof (preferably the left hand end); Not now having the complete Word depicted on the pieces the child is told to 7' overlap-ping disposition in such order as to form the selected word: In this part of the Workitis of considerable assistance, will be obvious, that the strips are laterally elongated and that the word elements there= onare arranged sotha't'each' isat ene end of its respective strip and"- all i'n relative' correproper placement of the piece for reading its Word-element? rightesi'd'e up, especially in the cases of letters like b and q or p and d, each of Which it is d'ifli'cult' to disverted'.

; in the fregoing I'have explain d m venti'on with reference tosubstarrti ally" the first stage in the art ofiteaching reading,

using WOTClS' as an-en'amplie' of the typeiof Written or printed matter to be taught and illustrating them in their printed fori ns; The invention has many other applications,- as will be obvious, and may be continued as an; auxiliary to the teacherls worli' beyond PTO the primitive stage herein used as an example.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is 1. A set of flat pieces of suitable material having displayed respectively on them near the margin of each piece the different elements of a word, one such element to a piece, the several elements being arranged in relative correspondence on all the pieces, and one or more of such pieces also having dis played on each of them the complete word, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A set of flat pieces of suitable material of substantially the same shape and size having displayed respectively on them near the margin of each piece the different elements of a word, one such element to a piece, the several elements being arranged in re spective correspondence on all the pieces, and one or more pieces having displayed on each of them the complete word, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A set of elongated flat pieces of suitable material of substantially the same shape and size having dis layed respectively onthem near one end 0' each piece the different ele ments of a word, one such element to a piece, the several elements being arranged in re spective correspondence on all the pieces, and one or more pieces having displayed on each of them the complete word, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A set of elongated flat pieces of suitable material of substantially the same shape and size having displayed respectively on them near the left end of each piece the difi'crent elements of a word, one such element to a piece, the several elements being arranged in relative correspondence on all the pieces, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination, a set of fiat pieces of suitable material of substantially the same shape and size having respectively displayed on them the different elements of a word, one such element to a piece, the several elements being arranged in relative correspondence on all the pieces, one of the edges of each piece which are above and below the word element thereon forming a laterally extending gage and such element being arranged adjacent one lateral edge of the piece, in combination with a holder having a laterally extending gaging abutment, said pieces being adapted to be placed with their gaging edges against the abutment in overlapping disposition with their word elements successively exposed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

V J ENNIE L, THOMSON. Witnesses:

EVELYN HARDING, MARY A. HARDING.

Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ZEatents,

' Washington, D. G. 

